hanks

1. Jesus gives five reasons in 12:22-30 why we shouldn't worry and strive over the material needs of life, food, clothing, shelter, and the like. What are they? (Read very carefully and then list the reasons) 1. Consider the ravens. Our Lord provides for all their needs, including food. Then surely we should not fear that He will let His spiritual children starve. 2. Consider the lilies. Our Lord provides these flowers with a yearly supply of fresh leaves and blossoms. Then surely we should not doubt that He will furnish His believing children with all needful clothing. 3. Consider the pagans. Being ignorant of the real nature of our Lord, they worry unnecessarily about all their needs. We, however, know that He is my Father, and that Jesus is my Saviour, and therefore have no such anxieties and cares as the pagans. We put our faith in God’s providential care. 4. Consider the perfect knowledge of God. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what our needs are, and will therefore supply as needed, and only what is of benefit to us. There is no need to be anxious or troubled about anything, Our faith produces a cheerful spirit, and we have His inward peace. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1). 5.Consider His kingdom. Our main thoughts are not to be of the things of this world, but to be focused on the eternal life to come. We are to “Seek His kingdom”. The kingdom of God is the only kingdom that will endure forever. In our daily life we put God first and the world second; we put things of the soul first and the things of the body second. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

6 How does one become rich towards God? (12:21) We do this by first seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. That is, we put God first in our lives and serve and obey Him in everything we do, and He promises to look after our future needs so that we will never lack life’s necessities. We have come to realise that earthly riches do not bring us joy and happiness, instead they bring loads of cares and anxieties. With it comes hardness of heart and we seem to forget that our riches cannot secure us from the grave. Death comes upon us suddenly, unexpectedly, and awfully - all the wealth we have accumulated will not lessen our pain or fear or prolong life for one moment. What a fool, what a wasted life. To be really rich, Jesus says that we must be rich toward God by laying up treasure in heaven. Paul says that we do that when we are rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. We are rich towards God when we start thinking of our eternal treasure in heaven, when we are rich in grace, and rich in faith, and rich in good works. When our name is inscribed in the Book of Life, when we are an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ! This is truly rich! We should think of ourselves standing before God, giving an account of what He has entrusted to us.

5. The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error? He might think that he is a wise agribusiness man, but he does not realise that it is through the providence of God, that he has had a bumper crop. He has his future all planned out - my barns, my fruits, my goods, my soul - not a thought of gratitude to the Lord who made it all possible. God calls this man “Fool,” and a fool he was indeed, for he seemed to think that he had no need of God whatever, that he himself had everything under control. The man’s error was his refusal to honour God as God, and a refusal to be grateful, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him” (Rom 1:21a). He did not even think of how he could use this wealth to enrich his neighbour, or his community. Instead, he asks how he could find a place to store all his wealth. The last thing on his mind was gratitude towards God – with no concern for following OT law of giving the firstfruits of what he had received from God. He is described as rich. Jesus does not say being wealthy is inherently a bad thing, what is bad is when your heart and your soul are tied up in your wealth and your material possessions. He is described as a fool. This does not mean that he is unintelligent or uneducated. There is a difference between stupidity and foolishness. He is a fool because he placed his confidence in his wealth, and an insatiable desire for more; failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves.

4. Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did? I’m 83 yo and I’ve had a friend in both camps. Both have since passed on, so I feel free to mention them. My one friend was brought up in a very poor family, and by means of study loans he managed to graduate as a medical doctor. After a few years in practice, he started accumulating all sorts of things, as if in a frenzy. He had 10 cars, woodwork machines, cameras, suits – everything in excess. He bought a farm and built a shed on it, and would go to auctions and buy just about anything he could get his hands on. All to be stored in a huge barn he had built on the farm. It was not that he would ever use the items bought. It was just to have it. An example of a poor man who got greedy. Then my other friend, he had his own construction company. He retired extremely wealthy and was living on a 28-acre property. He had more money than he could ever use. But, I must say, he was most generous in supporting several missionaries as well as our church. After about a year of retirement he decided to build an extra 14 new homes on his property as this would generate several extra millions. An example of a rich man who got greedy. It’s not for me to criticise either one, for I know how easy it is to fall into this trap.

3. Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not? I don’t think so. For example, a person can legitimately inherit a fortune and accept it with gratitude not demanding more than their share. And so, it is with any legal and legitimate financial matters. There is obviously no greed involved. It is when the person is not satisfied and demands more that greed is involved. Which might be the situation we have here, the brother not satisfied with his inheritance, wants more than his share. The greedy brother is not following the ideal of living in harmony with his brother, but rather loved riches more than his relationship with his brother.

2. How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect? A strong/selfish desire for more and more and still more. Besides material wealth there can be an excessive/greedy longing for power, for honour, for prestige, for position. I would imagine it could apply to anything that a person wants in excess of their needs. In both Eph 5:5 and Col 3:5, Paul calls greed idolatry because it places earthly possessions and passions ahead of God in the person’s life. I think in our materialistic world today this sin of greed/covetousness is the one we all are most prone to. Greed was Satan’s sin – he coveted something better, rebelled and was cast out of heaven with a third of the angels. Adam and Eve were not satisfied with the things which God gave them in Eden. They wanted more, and the result was that their sin brought death and damnation into the world. Greed is a sin which, ever since the fall, has brought ruin and destruction, misery and unhappiness to so many.

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this? Having counted 13 of these personal pronouns, this tells me that this is all about self, self, self - selfishness, self-interest, self-centred, self-loving, self-serving, self-seeking. All about self - no mention of God or any other person. It is about one who lives only for themselves; this is a self-centred concern for oneself, without a thought about our Saviour or about the needs of others. Romans 8:5 warns us about these people who live according to the flesh. They live to gratify the desires of their corrupt nature, and to the body, which in a few short years will return to dust. But true believers live according to the Spirit, and are occupied with the Word of God, prayer, worship, and Christian service. Greed is often an expression of this selfishness, and that a person can become a slave to whatever controls them (2 Peter 2:19) – in this case greed/covetousness. Our Lord and Saviour exposes this self-centred approach to life as a fatal mistake, as seen in our world today, where all kinds of passions and pleasures are pursued. This is a world which is horribly enslaved and in need of rescue by God our Saviour (Titus 3:3).

8. If God will forgive those who deny Christ, isn't it ultimately safer for believers to deny Christ now and then repent later? That would be deceitful and dishonest. We forget that Jesus knows our very thoughts and about denying Him because of our fear of man. Thinking that we can get away with this façade for the time being, and when it suits us we will repent and be forgiven and openly declare our love for Him. No this won’t work - it’s like playing games with the Lord, not trusting Him to look after us, and it shows that we don’t love/trust Him. Besides not being honest with Jesus we overlook the possibility of dying in unbelief. Who knows we might die in an accident, or whatever, that same day! We also forget about all the blessings He gives who love Him. This reminds me of that great verse in Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”. Those who love Him, who are not ashamed of Him, have their lives controlled by their loving Heavenly Father, who is working all things together for their good.

7. Do you have an example to share of how the Holy Spirit has given you the words to say in situations of persecution? Never been in such a situation.

6. Extra Credit: Christians in countries under Muslim and Hindu and Communist law have sometimes been executed for their faith. Is there a time to be a "secret" Christian, and what are the "rules" in those situations? We Westerners don't have to face this first hand, so we'll try not to speculate. Rather, in our e-mail discussion groups, let us hear from Christians who live in areas of active persecution. Please tell us what you have learned. We need your wisdom. I have never been in such a situation and therefore cannot comment.

5. It is not too difficult when a person is called before a persecutor or court of law to determine if that person has acknowledged or denied Christ. How much, if any, does Jesus' teaching apply to how we identify, or fail to identify ourselves as Christians, to those who come to know us? To whom are we obligated to identify our faith as Christians? It should not even be necessary for us to identify ourselves as Christians. Those who know us should be able to see this automatically by our words and actions. They should, among other things; see us living a moral upright life, honouring our Lord Jesus; see us openly acknowledge that we are followers of Jesus Christ, and that we are sinners saved by grace; see us loving others and helping them in need; see us looking for opportunities to share our faith with others; see us take a stand for justice; see us using our lives and resources to glorify Him, and carry out His desires rather than our own. These might not be visible all at once, but there must be signs of these as well as spiritual growth over time – growing in righteousness, love, and truth. Jesus said that all true believers who confess Him now will be confessed by Him before the angels of God. Jesus also said that all who deny Him, those who refuse Him and are ashamed to openly acknowledge Him, will be denied before the angels of God. In that day, He will say, “I never knew you.” It is when we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation that we are regenerated, born again, and become a new creation in Christ.

4. How do thoughts of sparrows and hair counts assure Jesus' disciples? (12:6-7) Jesus spoke words of encouragement to His disciples, using the sparrows as an object lesson, to remind them of how precious we all are to Him. Assuring them that if God is concerned about each sparrow, how much more will He take care of those who are created in His own image and who have been born into His family and are forever His children. If He knows the needs of each sparrow, how much more does He know our needs? We are not to be afraid since we are worth more than many swallows (12:7), and He cares for all His people even if they pass through many trials. Our Lord then follows up with another example, saying that God loves His people so much that He even cares about the smallest details of our lives - down to knowing the number of hairs on our head. We are to fear and reverence the One who values us, not the one who opposes us, and because of His care there is no need for us to live in fear. One of my favourite verse is 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”. What a privilege we have to cast all our anxieties on Him knowing that He cares!

3. How do you know that it is God, rather than Satan, spoken of in 12:5-6, who can both kill men and throw them into hell? Jesus says that rather than fearing those who can kill us, we should “fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell.” Then, to emphasize an already strong point, Jesus repeats, “Yes, I tell you, fear Him!” God alone as the sovereign ruler of the universes has the right to be worshiped, and only God has the power to cast into hell – which is the ultimate destiny of Satan and all his followers – when they are thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, and will be imprisoned eternally (Rev 20:10). He is talking about the place of eternal torment; a place for all who die without Christ as their Saviour. We might think that Satan has power to send people to hell, because he is called the god of this age (2 Cor 4:4), but this is absolutely not true. We are never to fear Satan as our Lord, the source of peace, will give us a swift victory over Satan (Rom 16:20). We are to resist Satan by submitting to God, listening to Him, obeying Him, using the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit, closing our ears and hearts to his suggestions and temptations (James 4:7). If we resist him, he will flee from us. We must be aware of his schemes (Eph 6:11); they may be discouragement, frustration, confusion, moral failure, and doctrinal error. He knows our weakest point and aims for it. If he cannot disable us by one method, he will try for another. The whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), but our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has overcome Satan’s evil. We might feel easily frightened by all the wickedness we see all around us, and be overwhelmed by the problems we face in this world. Evil is obviously much stronger than we are, but God is even stronger and He will conquer all evil. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4)!

2. In the light of speaking and thinking positively, how should we evaluate Jesus' use of fear to motivate His disciples? How should this influence our own motivational methods? The worst our persecutors can do to us is kill us – nothing more. But when we think of it, this so-called ‘worst’ is actually the best for us, since it takes us into the presence of our Lord Jesus forever. Freedom from sin, sorrow, sickness, and suffering! There is no reason to be scared of God for He has promised that nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:38-39), and on top of this He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5). The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe. It means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. We are motivated by the love of God and His Holiness, while the world with its unbelievers are driven by the love of sin. And we know God hates sin. Unbelievers who do not fear God, have a good reason to be afraid, which they are totally unaware of, for God can take not only their life but their eternal soul as well. Spiritual death is the greatest loss imaginable – eternal separation from God – it’s a doom that should be avoided at all cost. Understanding this is enough motivation for us all.

1. Jesus gives four arguments for remaining faithful to Him in times of persecution in 12:4-12. What are these four arguments? In times of persecution our Lord assures us, as His disciples, of certain truths. 1. That we are not to be afraid of the ones who want to kill us; since they cannot do any more to us after that. The one to fear is God, who alone has the power to kill both body and soul, by throwing us into hell. This fear of our heavenly Father is an awe-inspiring reverence of His majesty and Holiness, knowing that He loves us and will not kill the soul. Also, we know that Jesus has already prepared the way to eternal life (John 14:1-3). 2. That we are not to be afraid since we belong to Him, and are precious and holy in His sight. We might pass through many trials but His tender love and care will never fail us, not even in the time of death. 3. That everyone of us who acknowledges Him as Lord and Saviour, the Messiah, the Son of God; He will acknowledge in heaven before the angels of God. We will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” 4. That when we trust God, though faith in Christ and reliance upon the Holy Spirit, we will not need to fear anyone, or worry about saying the right thing. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into saying and doing what is correct.

4. How can we both live humbly in our churches and still foster high standards of behavior for ourselves and one another? This requires the love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, a love of divine power that is only given to those indwelt by the Spirit. Jesus said that if we do this we are His disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). This love helps the church function properly as the whole congregation works together for the common good; keeping us strong and united in a world hostile to God. We must have an attitude of gently reaching out to others, getting to know them, offering encouragement or help if needed, hospitality by inviting them to our homes, and bearing one another’s burdens. Forgiving and ignoring hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. Not to get involved in petty bickering, jealousy, or any division in the church. It is putting others before ourselves. All of this cannot be done without the help of the Holy Spirit. Remembering that nothing is hidden from His sight (Heb 4:13). He knows if our faith is real or not.

3. What is necessary for a Christian to do to escape the inaccurate "public" image of himself that he may have so carefully constructed for others (and perhaps himself) to see and believe? What is the antidote to hypocrisy? When our friends say they didn’t know we were Christians it’s time for us to take note. This could be a wakeup call. Why don’t people see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives – because it isn’t there! We can’t fake it – that would be a lie, and hypocrisy. Besides we would be found out soon enough. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17). Once we repented and put our trust in Jesus we should have been made a new creation, and old habits and evil thoughts should have started fading away, and our beliefs, actions, and spiritual growth would become more and more visible. If not, it’s time to check our commitment to Jesus Christ as our Saviour, to start acknowledging Him in everything we do, to start enjoying our fellowship with Him, to start being more active in our prayer life, to seriously start to reading and meditating on His Word, to start praying for the Holy Spirit to help us become more and more like Jesus. We should be quick to confess our sins so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with our Lord. This would be the antidote to hypocrisy.

2. What kinds of hypocrisy have you personally had to struggle with the most? This lesson has made me more aware of my hypocrisy which stretches across the whole spectrum of pretence. I cannot really say that there is one kind of hypocrisy that I struggle with mostly. I have found that at different times I have been guilty of not loving all, especially the unlovely, not being sincere at all times, not forgiving those that have harmed me, not being truthful at all times, failing to practice what I preach, seeking self-recognition, worshipping half-heartedly, not always being clean on the inside. And the list goes on and on. I need to come humbly before my Heavenly Father and ask for help from the Holy Spirit in sanctifying me, and to eliminate all hypocrisy in my life. I pray as I grow in grace, for the Lord to show me my hypocrisy, and help me nip it in the bud and confess it. Dear Lord, work in me deeply by Your Spirit building me up in holiness and righteousness through Jesus Christ my Saviour. Amen.

1. The scribes and Pharisees were caught in a rigid system of legalism to justify themselves before God. In what ways do our Christian religious cultures foster the same kind of self-justification and hypocrisy? Today we have people trying to impose their own system of rules and regulations for salvation and spiritual growth on us. They might have the appearance of wisdom but they fail because they are based on human wisdom and on outward performances instead of an inward change. This is the type of self-justification through the trap of legalism, similar to that of the scribes and Pharisees. At the same time believers are weighed down with burdens that are hard to bear. But in 1 John 5:3 we read, “This is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome”; we obey out of our love for our Lord which results in great joy and blessing. In our self-justification we seem to forget that justification is not earned at all, it is totally an act of God, not only forgiving our sins but also imputing to us the righteousness of Christ. We repent and put our trust in Jesus – this all seems too easy. We are all capable of hypocrisy, and often unknowingly become hypocrites. We may look righteous on the outside, but this is all a lie. It is not our obeying a set of rules that results in true righteousness.

7. In what ways do you see Pharisaical attitudes in yourself? What are you doing to counter them? I feel that one sure mark of the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart is that I see myself as a terrible sinner in God’s sight. I know that I deserve His judgment because of my pride, selfishness, and rebellion. I need to be often reminded that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Prov 3:34; James 4:6). It is so easy for me to take all the glory for my achievements forgetting that without God this could not have happened. I forget to acknowledge Him in everything I do, and to give Him all the glory. Instead of comparing myself with others and thinking that I’m basically good, rather I must compare myself with God and realise that no good thing dwells within me. I will now see my need and flee to the Cross for mercy. We are all continually vulnerable to falling into the trap of desiring the spotlight. Pride is a subtle sin that can creep up on us when we least expect it. So, I need to pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). Asking my Heavenly Father to expose every wicked thought so that it can be confessed and forgiven. Amen.

6. Did Jesus go out of His way to insult the Pharisees with 11:44? What purpose did His comment serve, if any? Jesus did not go out of His way to insult the Pharisees, but rather He was reprimanding them, telling them what they really were, and at the same warning the people about them. Jesus told them that they were hypocritical and that they defile people by their very nature. He mentioned that they were spiritually dead within, and have become hidden graves, the same imagery as the “whitewashed tombs” in Matthew 23:27. This resulted in the people, who were unaware of their true nature, becoming defiled by the mere contact with the Pharisees internal corruption. They gave everyone the impression that they were devout religious leaders, a model of piety, when in fact they were full of corruption and uncleanness, infecting others with their externalism and pride – like unmarked graves.

5. What is wrong with seeking to be seen and approved of by others? (11:43) What in us might tempt us to seek acclaim? It is wrong for us as a Christian to be self-centred and focusing on our own glory, and not on God’s glory. The root of this sin is pride – hypocritical, self-centred, self-righteous, loveless, without justice or mercy, covering our sins. We don’t see ourselves as sinners saved by grace, No, we are a notch above other sinners – we don’t rob or murder! We love status and want to be loved, admired, accorded reverence, have elevated positions, and have all kinds of titles - so that somehow people will think we are holy. We seek acclaim forgetting God gave us our abilities and opportunities in life, and everything we are/own is because of His great mercy and grace. Without Him we would be nothing, and we owe Him our gratitude.

4. Did Jesus fault the Pharisees on their scrupulous tithing or compliment them? Where did He find fault with them? (11:42) The Lord did not rebuke them for tithing, for that was the Law. The Pharisees were most careful in giving a tenth to God. Even being overly careful in observing this, tithing every kind of food, not only major crops - going so far as to giving a tenth of their garden herbs. This practice was not wrong in itself. But they were always over applying the law as seen in their hand-rinsing, fasting, and sabbath-observance rules and regulations. Then they would make sure that everyone knew and saw what they were doing. They were so proud of their actions which created a holier than thou attitude. Jesus pointed out that they had got their priorities wrong. They were keeping the tiniest details of law, ceremony, custom, and tradition, but at the same time they were completely neglecting the larger issues that were far more important - such as dealing correctly and fairly with people and building a relationship with God. Being overzealous about trivialities and neglecting the basic duties of life. They oppressed the poor and failed to love God. By ignoring deeds of mercy, they become guilty before God. As Micah 6:8 says, God requires us “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

3. How could giving food to the poor bring about spiritual cleansing, as implied by 11:41? The Pharisees were careful to keep the outside of cups and dishes spotlessly clean, but when it came to the insides, where the food was found, they were not so careful. Jesus uses this food as an image of sin – meaning that by giving some of this food, on the inside, to the poor will result in spiritual cleansing. That is why Jesus could say that they wanted to look holy, whereas they were actually full of greed and wickedness. All that mattered was that they appeared spiritual to others. The only way to be clean in the eyes of God is to defeat greed, and Jesus suggests in 11:41 that this can only be accomplished by being generous to the poor. When one gives food (image of sin) to help the poor escape their destitution, it becomes a medicine for the soul and heals the greed that has consumed them.

2. What modern-day examples can you think of that illustrate cleansing the outside of the vessel but leaving the inside unwashed? (11:39-40) I can think of a church that is beautiful on the outside but inside we have false doctrines being preached and taught. One can only imagine this church causing division and distress among the congregation by leading people away from the truth, as they distort or contradict the revealed truth of God. As Jesus said, on the inside you are full of greed and wickedness, which would apply to this church. Paul also warns us about these ungodly teachers (Romans 16:17-18) who are not obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ. They obey their own appetites by deceiving unsuspecting people with their lies.